Home Is Where The Heart Is
by SereneCalamity
Summary: ...Co-Authored by WiLdCaTgIrL414... Gabriella leaves her hometown to follow her heart, only to find it leads her straight back home. Troyella. SongFic. OneShot.


_We took a while to get all of this together so I __hope everyone enjoys it! Big thanks to WiLdCaTgIrL414!_

_Disclaimer: Do not own the characters, or the song._

I stared wistfully down the street. I'd be driving down there as soon as my dad and brother had finished loading my car. Don't get me wrong, this town is nice. But it's also really boring. And ever since I was fourteen, I haven't been able to shake the feeling that there's something better out there. You know, something in Albuquerque was anything but inspiring for an ambitious writer. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to get on a train and get stuck somewhere. I wanted to fall in love. I wanted to find a reason for existence. Because so far, all I have is...writing. And that isn't exactly going to make a ground-breaking Acknowledgements section of my debut novel.

Albuquerque was a great place to grow up. Carlos, my older brother, and I had grown up good and strong and both of us had graduated as valedictorian and had never gotten in trouble. And I didn't doubt that I would move back there for my children to grow up here, too. But, Albuquerque was never going to get me anywhere in life. If I didn't leave now, I never would.  
I wasn't crying. In fact, I was positively jumping with excitement. I heard Carlos laughing and I turned to poke me tongue out at him.

"Like you didn't do a full on happy dance when you left for Harvard!" I snapped playfully at him. Carlos glared but his eyes softened suddenly. He perched on the hood of the car, where I was sat cross-legged.

"Don't rush into anything, Gabi. I've been through this. It isn't the time to speed up," he said, his eyes scanning me with brotherly concern. I nodded seriously.

"I know. Why do you think I'm leaving? You know as well as I do that my life has always been full speed ahead. I mean, I skipped two grades, went to Stanford's freshmen's honours programme for early orientation... I want to spend this summer with a little more freedom. I'm staying with Aunt Linda and Uncle Jeremy in California until school starts. I just want to experience a little life before I jump headfirst into college." Carlos smiled.

"What happened to my baby sister?" I shrugged.

"I don't know. I'll let you know when I find out, okay?"

_I felt I was spinning my wheels_  
_Before too long the road was calling_  
_I packed everything I own_  
_So sure that I was leaving this small town life behind for good_  
_And not a single tear was falling_  
_It took leaving for me to understand_  
_Sometimes your dreams just aren't what life has planned_

I jumped down from the hood when Greg, my father, slammed the trunk of my car shut. I skipped around to him and hugged him.

"I love you, Daddy." Greg pulled back and kissed my forehead.

"You be careful, okay?" Gabriella smiled.

"I'll call you every day. And Aunt Linda and Uncle Jeremy will take really good care of me. You know that." Greg laughed.

"Yeah, my sister always complains because she doesn't see you enough. She'll love this summer. I hope you love it, too."

"I will," she whispered. "I hope you understand why I'm leaving."Greg nodded, although there was sadness in his eyes.

"Of course. I know this place is confining. I guess once I met your mother in high school, I didn't need to leave. You just enjoy it, okay?"

"Of course. And I'll come home for Christmas, Thanksgiving...Whenever I can," I murmured. Greg hugged me again.

"I love you, mi hija."

"I love you, too," I whispered as we pulled back. Carlos stood in front of me.

"Stay out of trouble, you little brat." I rolled my eyes.

"As long as you don't get a big head," I stopped, covering my mouth as though just realizing something. "Oops, too late." We simultaneously broke out in grins and hugged.

"Oh, I'll miss you, sis."

"I'll miss you, too." He pulled back and ruffled my hair.

"But I mean it. Stay out of trouble." Maria suddenly brought me into a bone-crushing hug. I patted her back consolingly.

"Mom, I'm coming back, I promise."

"Yes, but you've only just passed your driving test," she mumbled. Like that was going to stop me. I sighed and pulled back. I looked into her eyes. "Mom, please let me do this."

"I can't stop you. You've set your mind to something and I respect that. I just want you to know that home is where the heart is. And that can sometimes take longer to find than you originally thought," she said wisely.

_Mama said home is where the heart is_  
_When I left that town_  
_I made it all the way to West Virginia_  
_And that's where my heart found_  
_Exactly where I'm supposed to be_  
_It didn't take much time_  
_It's just south of the Mason Dixon line_  
_It's just south of the Mason Dixon line_

I had been here for almost a month. I loved it. California was just the place for me. The sun woke me each morning, the joyful rays peaking through my curtains, whispering of things to come in the new day. I rose each morning, and ate breakfast looking out over the beach. Uncle Jeremy was at work during the week, but Aunt Linda was usually at home, and we would sit on the balcony, eating breakfast and discussing our plans for the day. I could almost smell the freedom in the air.

"So how is your job coming, honey?" Aunt Linda asked. I had been employed at a diner, which was not too far from home. It was about a ten minute walk, which was good, as I didn't need to be picked up at the ungodly hours that I sometimes finished work. The all night diner had friendly staff, which had welcomed me with open arms. The uniform wasn't bad either, black pants and a white shirt, with a red apron tied around my waist.

"I like it," I told her, sipping my juice. "And hopefully I will be able to change my hours around a bit when school starts." She nodded and we fell quiet again. I liked it like that. No one was questioning my decisions.

On night, everything seemed to change. A boy with blonde hair, blue eyes. Gorgeous, really gorgeous blue eyes. He was wearing a baby blue polo shirt and a pair of plain off-white shorts. He had books too, tucked under his arms. I liked boys who were smart. He sat down, and one of the other girls went over to him. He smiled at her, ordered something and opened one of the books. Then he read. The coffee was brought over, and he just sat and read. I couldn't help but feel my eyes drawn to him every couple of minutes as I waitressed around him. Then, a couple of minutes before I finished my shift, he leaned back, and stretched, showing a strip of tanned, muscular stomach. He looked over and smiled at me. He stood up and began to leave. Then he stopped suddenly beside me.

"My name's Troy," he said with a smile. I felt my throat tighten.

"Gabriella," I replied, shaking his hand.

_I worked third shift at an all night diner_  
_Only stayed to save a little money for_  
_Enough gas to make it to the east coast_  
_That's when I saw the brightest pair of_  
_Deep blue eyes walking straight into my life_  
_And every night we talked till it became so clear_  
_And I could feel those dreams inside shifting gears_  
_Cause love brought me here_

I barely kept away from Troy over the next few months. We were always together. He lived only several houses down from Aunt Linda's and Uncle Jeremy's and he would come into the diner while I was working for my entire shift, even the late one at night so that he could walk me home safely. We talked all of the time, learning about ourselves as well as each other. He was all I needed. I knew that.

At Christmas, I took him home with me on the condition that I could spend Thanksgiving with his family. I couldn't help but feel my throat tighten as we drove through the town, my hometown, with Troy. It felt as though the past and the future were meeting. My hometown, my past, and Troy, my future. When we pulled up outside, Maria came running out of the house. Tears gathered in my eyes as I jumped from the car, running into my mother's arms. Greg and Carlos weren't far behind and I felt euphoria wash over me as my family huddled around me. Troy was standing by the car, looking rather nervous. Maria started speaking quickly, talking about  
lunch, about how happy she was, just generally talking. She rushed over to Troy, hugging him tight, and I loved the surprised look on Troy's face. I knew he'd been nervous but I also knew my family. He'd fit right in.

"Everyone, inside! Lunch is ready!" Maria called.

As Maria and I washed and dried the dishes, we talked of Troy, school, California, the future... Everything. It felt so good to be back with my mum. She loved Troy, everyone did, even if Carlos was giving him a bit of the big brother being protective of little sister routine. Climbing into bed that night, Troy held me. After having to use the puppy dog eyes, Greg finally let us share a bed.

"You are more at peace here than I've ever seen you," he whispered as he kissed me gently on the lips.

"Are you kidding? I moved to get away from here. It's so simple, fine when you're younger I suppose, but I was so bored here!" I told him. Troy smiled at me.

"You might have needed a change at the time, but I think you would be very happy growing old here," he held me close. "I wouldn't mind growing old here with you," he added. Happiness flooded through me. I thought about that. Why would I need all of those crazy cities, anyway? I had one of the best summers of my entire life simply hanging out in a diner with the most perfect guy ever. That wasn't exactly glamour party stuff.

At that moment, I didn't really care where I was heading in life, as long as Troy was with me.

_Mama said home is where the heart is_  
_When I left that town_  
_I made it all the way to West Virginia_  
_And that's where my heart found_  
_Exactly where I'm supposed to be_  
_It didn't take much time_  
_It's just south of the Mason Dixon line_  
_It's just south of the Mason Dixon line_

I went through Stanford with flying colours. Luckily, Troy was at Berkeley for college which meant he was about an hour away from me. That meant that we met up practically every day and in our second year of college, we bought rented an apartment directly in the middle of Stanford and Berkeley. Our parents went mental when they found out. They gave us the whole 'use protection' shebang. Twice. Troy's parents lectured us once and Maria and Greg gave it to use the second time around.  
To make it even more embarrassing, while Greg was going on and on about the consequences of getting pregnant, I blurted, very unceremoniously, that I was still a virgin. The silence that followed my outburst was soooooo awkward.

But, in any case, they all let us live together while we were still in college. And besides, between school, assignments, eating, my job and actually sleeping (in the very comfy bed with Troy's arms around me), I didn't have time to even consider getting myself knocked up.

It was about two weeks before our graduations. Luckily, they were on different days so that we could see each other receive our diplomas. It was when we were lying together on our small and extremely lumpy couch that Troy spoke.

"El, do you want to be together forever?" I frowned sleepily up at him. The movie we had been watching had done nothing for me except lull me to sleep with he thelp of Troy's gentle caress at the base of my back.

"Of course," I whispered through a yawn. "Why'd you ask?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "I was just thinking about the future, you know? Graduation's soon." I nodded against his shirt.

"I know. I don't want to leave here." I closed my eyes. "I don't want to go back down there."

He brushed my hair gently. "I don't know why. You seemed happy down there. I know you want to escape and you did. But, maybe you need to be there now. Please think about that. You seemed peaceful down there. More peaceful than I've ever seen you before. Please consider it."

"No promises," I murmured sleepily.

The weeks passed and soon I found myself seated next to Jack and Lucille to see Troy graduate. I'd already seen him, of course, and couldn't believe how handsome he looked in his red graduation gown. I, on the other hand, was due to wear a horribly orange slash yellow gown. I hated it even though Troy protested that I looked beautiful. In any case, Troy looked drop dead gorgeous. He was due to make a speech as the graduation class' most successful and devoted sportsman. That made both of mine and Lucille's hearts swell with pride.

Troy stepped onto the stage when his name was called and he shook hands with the Dean of the university.

"Well, I guess I should start this thing off by saying that public speaking is not my forte, so please bear with me." A few chuckles rippled through the audience and Troy glanced down at a crumpled piece of paper he was using as a cue card that rested on the podium. He looked back to the audience. "These past four years have been the best of my entire life. I've learnt a lot of things but first and foremost I learnt that, yes, this world is big but it's not as scary if you have someone you love to be behind you all of the way." His eyes sought mine and we shared a smile. "Basketball has always been everything to me. I've never known anything else, really. But moving up here with my parents was the best decision that I've ever made. Not only did I get amazing opportunities, I met my favourite person in the world. She went to Stanford and opened my eyes to so many amazing things. She let me fall in love with her so I'd like to invite her up here with me." I shook my head frantically as people slowly began to take notice of me. Jack and Lucille gently pushed me and I sighed as I excused myself past the other occupiers of the row and made my way up towards the stage. A big, mountainous security guard let me pass and I walked over Troy. He took me in his arms and kissed my cheek.

"What are you doing?" I whispered. He pulled back and rolled his eyes.

"Just wait." He turned back to the mic, his hand gripping mine. "Coming to university wasn't about basketball or parties or anything like that. Coming to this university was so much more than that. This university is about becoming people. We're not simply high school kids anymore. So we lost a few basketball games? We didn't sit around and whine like we used to. We got back into that gym and practiced our butts off until our feet were numb. And let me tell you, Ella here is one hell of a foot massager. So we failed a few assignments. Or most of us did at some point," he joked quietly to me and I giggled in response. "We just accepted our teachers' grades and pushed ourselves for the next one. Every time we fell, we picked ourselves up and brushed ourselves down." He paused and took a deep breath. "But I'm not sure I would've done any of that without this girl, woman," he immediately corrected, "right here." He held up our interlocked hands. "So," he whispered as he turned to me, "I want her to marry me." He dug into his dress pants pocket and brought out a square jewellery box. "Please?" he whispered so quietly that even I had trouble hearing him.

I felt tears well in my eyes and I smiled and nodded silently, unable to speak. He took me in his arms and spun me around happily. He set me down and kissed me passionately, ignoring the congratulatory yells and cheers from our audience.

_And I'm standing in my veil about to say I do_  
_As mama smiles with tear drops in her eyes_  
_And then I realize there's something mama always knew_  
_Love is what I really left to find_  
_Mama said home is where the heart is_  
_When I left that town_  
_I made it all the way to West Virginia_  
_And that's where my heart found_  
_Exactly where I'm supposed to be_  
_It didn't take much time_  
_It's just south of the Mason Dixon line_  
_It's just south of the Mason Dixon line_

The veil was long and brushed my collar bone as I stood in front of the make-shift asile, a pathway to the house that Troy and I had just moved into just a few weeks ago. Greg had my hand tucked in the crook of his arm and there was a proud smile on his face. We began out walk up the asile, people on either side, all looking at us with huge smiles on their faces. Lucille and Jack looked as though they weren't sure who to be smiling at, their eyes kept darting between Troy, standing at the alter, and me, walking up the asile. I felt a blush creep through my cheeks as I saw the look in Troy's eyes.

The one of pure love.

I was just a step away from joining Troy, when my eyes met my mothers. There were tears in her eyes, and dripping down her cheeks. She was so happy. And then, I realized, she had been so right. She had known all along that I couldn't stay away from this place, even though I had grown up so bored and irratable here. Yet, here I was. Getting married outside the house Troy and I would be living. In Alburqueque. My home.

_I'm really not sure about the ending. But tell me what you think!_

_x_


End file.
